Improvement in fac-simile telegraphs



I 3 Sh eetsSheet1. J. C. LUD'WIG.

FAC-SIM ILE TELEGRAPHS. No.170,385. Patented ov. 23,1875.

m'tnesses; Inventar;

,N. PETERS, PHOTO LITHOGRAFHEFI. WASHINGTON. D C.

3SheetsSheet-Z. 'J. C. LUDWIG. Y

FAO-SIMILE TELEGRAPI-IS. No.170,3'85. Patented Nov. 23, 1875.

Witnesses,-

Inventor,-

' MPETERS, PHOTQ-LITNOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C

3Sheets-Sheet 3.- J. C. LUDWIG. FAC-SIMILE TELEGRAPHS. $1 ,170,385, Patented Nov. 23, 1875.

mmzssas: mvsmn:

N.PEYERS. PHOTO-LITHOGEAPHER. WASHKNGTC-N, u c.

-'ilhvlTno STATES PATENT DFFIGE.

JOHN 0. LUDWIG, OF SAN FRANCISCO, ASsIeNoRoF PART on HIS RIGHT o WILLIAM H. HALL, MARTIN ooRcoRAN, B. D. MURPHY, JAMES v. I TISDAL, eHARLES WASHEIM, AND DAVID B. MOODY, OF SAN JOSE, cAL.

IMPROVEMENT IN FACFSIMILE TELEGRAPH S.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. l;70,385, dated November 23, 1875; application filed I November :27, 187 1. 4

' To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JoHN OAROLUS LUn-S WIG, of the city and county of San Francisco and State of Galifornia,'have invented certain Improvements in Electro-Magnetic-Tele. graphic Instruments, of which the following is a specification:

tion of frame B, showing the springs operating on the traverser.

Fig. 5 is a sectional View of post X of Plate 1. Fig. 6, Plate 3, is a diagram, showing the different circuits and connections with the several working parts of the instrument. Fig. 7, Plate 2, is a detail fragmental view of O of Plate 1, with ratchet b and pawl.

A is the base, which may be constructed of wood or other suitable non-conducting material, with room or space in the under or bottom side for a condenser. B is the frame, which is secured to the base, and which sup ports the several working parts of the instrument. 0 and D D is an electro-magnet secured to B by means of screws. G is an insulator, made of wood or other non-conduct ing material, placed between B and O, and secured to B and O by screws. J is an insulator made of hard rubber or other suitable nonconducting material, and is secured to 0 by means of screws in such a manner that It insulates and L. g is a roller, provided w th a ratchet-wheel, b, and spring-pawl, as in Fig.

7, Plate 2, and is fluted with small grooves.

' The roller revolves on the rod U, which is secured to O by means of the screw-thread on one end. L is the frame, in which the slide 'K operates, and is secured to J by means of screws. K is a slide, operating vertically in frame L, which may be made of brass or other suitable material, and armed with a plate of platina on the under side, where it comes in contact with 1", as shown in Fig. 3 in Plate 2. It is provided with a rod, f, around which is coiled a spiral spring, which tends to keep K pressed downward and in contact with t. On the upper end of rod f there is a hard-rubber button, N. These are also connected with K by means of screws or springs d d, which are betweenfl and K.

The slide, as shown in Fig. 1, Plate 2, is composed :of four parts, h, i, j, and It, and is secured [to posts at a, as shown in Fig. 2, by

means of screws passing through the slots 1 and 2, in such a manner that the slide may move backward and forward. It is a'sprin,g--

hook, which operates on ratchet-Wheel b, and insulated from h by a piece of hard rubber, j, or other non-conducting material, riveted to h and k. '13 is a spring, secured to h by means of screws, and is armed with platina where it comesin contact with X, as shown in Plate 1.

Fig. 2, in Plate 2, is the rest for-the slide, and is'secured to frame B by means of screws, as shown in Plate X is a post made-of hard rubber or other non-conductin g material, having a thread cut on the lower end, that it may be screwed into and secured to base A. It is also secured to the frame B by means of a strap passing around it, one end of which is screwed to the frame B. It is perforated longitudinally, in which perforations two small wires are placed, as shown at k 70 in Fig. 5, Plate 2, which pass through base A, and around the electro-magnet D D, and connected with binding-screws k h in Plate 1, as will be more fully explained hereafter. The upper ends of the wiresare armed withplatina where they come in contact with 1', shown at l l in Fig. 5. The traverser, as shown in Fig. 3, Plate 2, is composed of several parts,

the upright rod F, which oscillates on-"tlie paper, an infinitesimal distance apart.

through perforations in the arm H and the brace I. A spiral spring is coiled around the pin j, and tends to press it upward so that i the point i may, at all times, act on the paper placed between it and the plate or slide K. H is also provided with a short arm, which carries the pin 0. The pin 0 operates in a slot, shown intFig. 1, between slots 1 and 2, so that when the armature T is drawn on by the electro-magnet D D, the slide is drawn backward, the hook it moves, and causes the ratchet-wheel b torevolve, and when D D ceases to be a magnet T is drawn back by a uspring,p, which is. hooked to pin q.

The spring 1) may be weakened or strengthened by means of a set-screw, n. RRof Plate 1 is an electro-magnet. fperloration, through which stem y passes, and

Z is a post having a square is thereby kept from turning. y is provided with adjusting-screws a: w. z is a spring connected in such a manner with y and M that,

when the armature M is drawn on, it will bend and release f, and allow the spring 11 to operate on the oscillating rod F, and when magnetism ceases in R B the spring 2 will return to proper position to receive and hold the arm f. l a is a small wedge or hook secured to M, which secures and retains the hook of arm f 3 until released, as before mentioned. f is a small arm with a hook projecting from the rod. F, as shown in Fig. 3, Plate 2, in such position that when the magnet D D draws on the armature T the hook of the arm f will move toward and press down the spring 2 untilthe hook on f passes over the wedge a, when it is retained by the wedge a untilM isdrawn on again by electromagnet R R. P is a box containing intensity-coil.

The principle of the operation of the instrument, as thus described, whereby the handwriting of the. message is reproduced at the receiving-station in a facsimile record, is dependent upon the synchronous vibration of the two traversersat the sending and receiving instruments,respectively,which said traversers oscillate across the slips of paper with. great rapidity, describing lateral lines across the The paper for this purpose is specially prepared, and the unison in the movementsof the traversers is effected by the currents operating as hereinafter described.

c In order to send a message with this instru ment the paper must be chemically prepared inthe following manner: One fluidhalf-ounce of tincture of ferro-cyanide of potash is put intoone gallon of coal-oil, into which the paper is put until saturated, when it is taken out and partially dried by passing it through a common clothes-wringer, or by means ofa dry cloth, when it is ready for use. This paper, when thus prepared, must be written upon with a soft common lead-pencil, whereupon the message is ready for transmission.

For receiving a message well-glazed common paper should be used.

h h are the binding-screws for the main circuit. h? k are binding-screws for the local circuit. 5-2 shows the position of the switch for sending a message; 5-1 the position of the same for receiving.

The followingis an explanation of the instrument, and the manner in which the difl'erent circuits are changed by it, andwith the switch: For sending, the induction-coil and the parts of the instrument exclusively related thereto are not employed. The main battery or line current passes through one of the binding screws h to 1 2, as shown in Fig. 6, Plate 3, from thence to 22, from 22 through the relay, and from thence to 33, from 33 to. 15,thence through. the base A to S, thence to s s, thence to t, thence to frame B, thence to F and H, thence to platina point 'i, thence through penoil-mark in the prepared paper to K, thence to binding screw e, thence down wire W through base A to 24, thence to 25, thence to sending-button 2 of switch, thence to 5, thence to 4, thence through base to the other binding-screw k thence to the line. When the platina-poiut 0" passes over a pencil-mark at the sending-station a current of electricity passes through thepencil-mark, and through the wire to the the receiving-station, as, long as 'i is connected with K by means of apencilmark, which must be made in such a manner that the pencil-mark will form the connection between i and K. When the moving point i does not come in contact with a pencil-mark on the paper, no current willflow through the line, and none will bereceived at the receiving-station, where a similarinstrument must be used.

For receiving, the handleof the switch must rest on button 1., When a current passes from 43 through a pencil-mark or writing at the sending-station, a current will be transmitted through the line to one of thebindingscrews h of the relay to12, thence through base to 22, thence through the relay to. 33, thence to15, thenceto S in Fig; 4, Plate 2, thence to t, thence to B, thence through base A to 13, thence to switch-button l, thence. to 5, thence to 4, thencemto theother bindingscrew h thence to the earth. 1

The main-line circuit being thus completed through the relay-magnets, the armature of the latter is drawn on and the circuit of the local battery is completed through- 9 and 11 of the diagram, (w c ofperspective.) Before the closing of the said. local circuit, the magnets are all deinagnetized, the traverser moved over toward the hook and slide. h k, and held there by arm f, which has passed over the catch a of magnets R R, the slide moved back so that i is not in contact with l l, and

- does not connect k W. Now, when an impulse from the main line passes through the relay and closes the local .circuit, the course of the latter is as follows, reference being had to the diagram: Fromthe local battery to 18, thence to 18 into the primary wire of the inductioncoil, out from the coil at 27, thence to 32 into the magnets R R, out at 31 to the receivingbutton 1, thence to 5, thence to the relay-post 9, thence to the relay-armature 11, thence .to 17 and the opposite pole of the local battery. The effects of this circuit upon the working parts of the instrument are as follows: The charging of the induction-coil; the attraction of the armature of magnets R R; the release of arm f; the action of spring 1) to draw back the armature T and move traverser H, and the passage of the spark from the secondary wire of the induction-coil from 19 to 14 into frame B, thence through the traverser H and point i"v through the paper to slide K, down wire W to 24, and from thence to 26, the other electrode of the secondary wire of the induction-coil. At the same time that the traverser moves away from the slide it by reason of the release of its armature by magnets R R, an arm, e, of the traverser advances the slide and brings the point i upon ll, connecting the Wires 70 70 (20 21.) The effect of this is to form a new circuit for the local battery, and it passes from 17 to 21, (k thence to 20, (k thence to 30 into the magnets D D, magnetizing the same, out at 29, and from thence to 18 and the opposite pole of local battery.

The action of the new local circuit is to charge magnets D D, draw on armature T, lock arm f over catch a, move back the traverser toward the slide, move back the slide h by arm e, and'shut otf the local current by movingi from lland breaking the connection between k W. (21 20.) The instrument is now at rest, and in the same condition that it was before receiving the main-line impulse, and can only be operated again as a receiving-instrument by the closing of the local-battery circuit through the relay by an impulse from the main line produced by the closing of the circuit at the sending-stations, through a pencil-mark on the paper.

Thus it will be seen that, as the above action is repeated for each impulse received from the main line, the vibration of the traverser at the receiving'station is dependent wholly upon the main-line impulse, and is locked when there is no current over the main line by the magnets R R.

In the sending-instrument, however, the vibration of the traverser is continuous and independent of the main-line current, the said vibration being efi'ected by the local battery to produce the feeding of the paper.

The function of the armature u is that of a contactbreaker for the main -line current, whereby is insured the unison of movement of the traversers, which is explained as follows: Whenever the magnets D D are magnetized-the armature u is drawn away, so that the contactof the points 3 s is broken. whereby the main-line current can only be complete when magnets D D are demagnetized. The main line current can, therefore, only pass through the paper when the magnets D D are demagnetized, and the traversers are moving although I have shown my method of recording by an intensity-coil, I do not confine my invention to the same, for it is obvious that certain features of my invention are equally applicable to recording by electrolysis or chemical discoloration.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1 1. In an autographic telegraphic instrument, the combination, with a suitable conducting-surface, of an oscillating traverser, arranged to move back and forth over the paper passing between the said traverser and conducting-surface, substantially as described.

2. The method of preparing the messagepaper by saturating it with a mixture of ferrocyanide of potassium and coal-oil, for the purpose of rendering the same capable of conducting the. current through a lead-pencil mark, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the pivoted oscillating traverser, having an armature upon its axis, and a retracting-spring for the same, of

the ,electro-magnets and a suitable contactbreaker, substantially as described.

4. The traverser H, having a spring-seated contact-point, i, in combination with a springseated conducting-plate, K, and suitable feedrollers, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a slide, operated by an arm of the traverser, with the feed-roller, having a ratchet-wheel, and the contact-points, through which the circuit is formed that operates the traverser, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the traverser H and armature T, having arm f, of the releasing-magnets R" R and the spring-mounted armature M, having a catch, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the magnets D D and the main-line circuit, of the spring-mounted armature a and the contact-points s s, to insure the passage of the main-line current through the paper while the traverser is being moved by spring-power, substantially as described.

8. The combination of the relay-magnets,

:the induction-coil, the inagnets D D, the re-' leasing-magnets R R, the traverser H, and armature T,ha\'ing arm f, the spring 1), and

the slide for feeding the paper and breaking the second local circuit, substantially as described.

9. The combination of the hook or pawl 10 with the fluted or channeled feed-roller q, having a ratchet-Wheel, b, and the roller 0, journaled in springs 01 d, substantially as described.

10. The combination, with the second local circuit, of the non-conducting post X, wires k k, contact-plates l l, and the circuit closing plate 2', substantially as described.

JOHN c. LUDWIG,

Witnesses:

EDWARD HALSEY, M. J. ASHMORE. 

